Recently, an attention has been paid to the action of magnesium in a living body. Magnesium has the actions of relaxing and dilating muscle and blood vessel, and is an indispensable mineral to a human being. When magnesium is deficient, it is considered that a human being easily suffers from hypertension, angina pectoris and hyperlipemia. In addition, magnesium is greatly involved in calcium metabolism and, when magnesium is deficient, various symptoms accompanied with calcium metabolism abnormality are manifested. Further, it is said that magnesium is associated with many enzyme reactions, and maintains homeostasis in a living body. However, recently, since a diet life has been europeanized and Japanese people have begun to take cereals having a high polishing degree, and magnesium is considerably reduced at a stage of purifying and processing a food, there is a tendency that magnesium is deficient in a diet life of modern people, and an attention is paid to magnesium-enriched products.
For example, in refreshing beverage, for the purpose of enriching a magnesium component, water-soluble magnesium such as magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate and the like, water-insoluble or hardly soluble magnesium in an inorganic form such as magnesium oxide and the like are added and used. However, water-soluble magnesium in an organic or inorganic form has a defect that it is considerably bitter, an addition amount thereof is limited because of a flavor problem which is a great factor in foods, and use in a large amount is impossible. In addition, when a water-insoluble or hardly soluble magnesium ingredient in an inorganic form such as magnesium oxide and the like is used, a specific gravity is as high as 2.1 or higher and, when dispersed in a refreshing beverage, the ingredient is precipitated in a short time. Therefore, this is not preferable from a viewpoint of eating feeling and beauty appearance as a food and, consequently, an addition amount is limited like water-soluble magnesium ingredient, thus, such the magnesium has a defect that it can not be used in a large amount.
As a method which compensates for this defect and can add a large amount of magnesium for food uses, JP-A No. 2000-83622 proposes a method for improving the dispersibility of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate by mixing at least one dispersing agent selected from sorbitan fatty acid ester, glycerol fatty acid ester, propylene glycol fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, soybean phospholipid and condensed phosphate with calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. In Example thereof, there is described a process for preparing a 20 wt % mixed slurry in which calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate are mixed at a ratio of 2:1. However, although a mixed slurry obtained by this process has the improved dispersibility as compared with the previous magnesium ingredient, its average particle diameter is around about 0.5 μm, thus, it can not be said that the slurry has the sufficiently dispersed state. In addition, since an amount of particles in a crude particle region of 1 μm or larger is 17.4% by weight, cow's milk to which a mixed slurry obtained by this process is added has a deteriorated yield of magnesium carbonate in a centrifugal classifying machine such as a clarifier and the like in its manufacturing step, and is easily precipitated in foods such as cow's milk and the like. Thus, it can not be said that the physical property thereof is sufficient for retaining the long term dispersibility. Further, it can not be said that a mixed slurry having the solid matter concentration of around 20% by weight has the sufficient economical property.
Recently, with progress of a container and a storage method which can store liquid foods such as cow's milk, yogurt, juice and the like for a long term, in more cases, the foods are stored in shops, vending machines, and large refrigerators in home for a long term. A water-insoluble or hardly soluble magnesium particle in an inorganic form which is added to the same kind foods for the purpose of enriching magnesium is precipitated on a bottom of a food container during long term storage of liquid foods when the dispersed state in the foods is not extremely excellent. And, when ones drink liquid foods such as cow's milk and juice, the precipitate gives unpleasant feeling and dirty feeling to drinkers.
Therefore, in liquid foods to which an inorganic particle such as water-insoluble or hardly soluble magnesium in an inorganic form prepared by the conventional technique is added for the purpose of enriching magnesium and which are currently sold, since a dispersion stable term of the inorganic particle in foods is short, it is necessary that an amount of the inorganic particle to be added is limited to an extremely small amount, and it is necessary that such the liquid foods are limited to liquid foods which general consumers must use for eating within 1 to 2 days from purchasing, thus being inconvenient.
In view of the such circumstances, the present invention solved the above problems and provides a food additive slurry composition and powder composition which have the very high concentration leading to excellent distribution economical property, and have the suitable high dispersibility as an additive to foods such as cow's milk and the like, and food compositions containing these.